an update from our school in Yida Refugee Camp

In 2015, Operation Broken Silence launched the Endure Campaign, an online fundraising movement focused on supporting a school in Yida Refugee Camp. This is an update on how your fundraising and giving is leading to real results on the ground.

Background

People in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan have been living in emergency conditions since June of 2011, when the government of Sudan launched a relentless campaign of terror and death against their communities. The Sudanese government has officially banned all aid and media organizations from the Nuba Mountains in an attempt to cover it’s crimes. The deteriorating situation here has become a forgotten conflict for much of the world. Click or tap the map for a visual.

Tens of thousands of children have fled the war and genocide in the Nuba Mountains and are sitting in refugee camps where few educational services exist. Dozens of Nuba teachers have been unable to get back to work due to a lack of financial resources. This education crisis is an enormous long-term issue threatening the future of not only the Nuba people, but also all of Sudan.

Building and supporting classrooms, paying teacher salaries, and ensuring that children have access to a free education is one of our organization's top priorities. Here's what your generosity has accomplished so far:

Endure Classrooms Update

Beginning in 2015 with the launch of the Endure Campaign, we began supporting four small classrooms in Yida Refugee Camp. Since then and entirely because of your fundraising and giving, this school now has ten classrooms led by twelve Nuba teachers and a support coordinator. Every week they teach and support 930 students who have fled from the Nuba Mountains. Some of these children have lost their parents or been separated from them due to the Sudanese government's war.

Since we began providing support, a total of 2,421 students have been served. At its peak, the school had 15 teachers and over 1,000 students each week. The number of teachers and students at our school has dropped slightly the past few months due to political events in the area. The United Nations largely withdrew from Yida in 2016 under strange circumstances, causing an estimated 27,000 people to leave Yida and go into Ajoung Thok Camp to the southwest or north back into the Nuba Mountains.

Operations at the school you are supporting are going well! The teachers have been hard at work the past several months. In July, many of the students completed standardized testing in Mathematics and English. Not only did the students do well, they had the highest test scores in Yida. Several students came close to near perfect scores at 96% in both areas of studies!

These students want to grow up to be teachers, doctors, and leaders in the communities. When you ask them what they are working towards, their answer is a free Sudan.

At the end of July, nearly 6,000 residents in Yida came together to celebrate these future leaders. This included parents, students, teachers, and community leaders. Here are a few photos from the celebration:

What's Coming Up Next?

Currently, these classrooms are offering Primary 1 - Primary 7 grade levels, which is the American equivalent of elementary school. The teachers have a goal of adding Primary 8 by the end of the year, which will make our school a full-fledged primary level school for Nuba students. To do this, we need to raise an estimated $7,500 for additional text books and other supplies. You can help make that happen by taking one of the get involved actions below.

We have also entered the early planning stages of opening a high school in Yida Refugee Camp at the end of 2018. Our hope is that by the beginning of 2018 we will have a full needs assessment completed on what that will entail. Stay tuned!

The people of Sudan are overcoming two of the greatest challenges facing humanity today: war and genocide. Operation Broken Silence is working to accelerate their ability to generate lasting change through storytelling, education, advocacy, and emergency relief programs. Here are a few different ways you can join us:

1. Give Monthly. This is the best and easiest way to support these amazing teachers and their students.Our school has a goal of having the Primary 8 grade level available to students by the end of the year. To do this, we need to raise an estimated $7,500 for additional text books and other supplies. You can play a huge role in making this happen by joining The Renewal, which is our monthly recurring giving program. LEARN MORE »

2. Start Fundraising. You can start a personal fundraising page for the Endure Campaign and ask your friends and family to give. This is an excellent way to support these classrooms and get your community involved as well. START FUNDRAISING »

3. Give. Our support of these classrooms, teachers, and students is only made possible by people just like you. Without your generosity, none of this progress would be made. You can support these children by making a one-time donation. GIVE HERE »